This page is having a slideshow that uses Javascript. Your browser either doesn't support Javascript or you have it turned off. To see this page as it is meant to appear please use a Javascript enabled browser.

Why Online Stores Should Blog

We get the question a lot these days about whether small businesses and in particular online stores should have blogs? Often, the question is asked why should a store owner spend their precious time blogging. Here are some reasons that an online store should blog:

1. SEO Value: It is no secret that Google and other search engines really like and prefer fresh website content. A blog is a quick, easy way to continually provide new and fresh content related to your store and your website. The more posts that you create and publish and then syndicate to various blog search engines like Technorati, MyVenturePad and SocialMedian the better. Also when you incorporate relevant keywords into posts, that content is spidered by Google and other search engines, and that then helps your overall search results for those keywords. That is because you are creating more relevant content and website pages related to those keywords for your store.

2.Humanizing Your Store: Shoppers and people in general like to shop and interact with businesses that they can relate to and like. Use your blog to educate your customers, prospects, the community and the industry on who your business is, your business culture and ideals and the personality of your business. There are many ways to do that including using videos on your blog to introduce employees as we described previously. Giving shoppers and your customers a more in depth look at your brand and your business allows customers to create a bond with your business. This can help drive word of mouth marketing of your store by these customers and shoppers.

3. Another Channel to Feature Products: Online stores can use a blog to describe and introduce new products or product lines to your customers and the market. You can also have blog posts that describe a special discount on a product. Some stores even use their blog to outline special features of their products that may not be obvious. You can even use a blog to create your own Frequently Asked Questions for your products which can help reduce your customer service calls and call drivers.

4. Way to Engage Your Customers: Having a blog is a great way to interact with your customers. Your customers and the greater community can visit your blog, read the posts and then comment on those posts. When they do, it gives you and your store and opportunity to have a conversation with your customers. This also has the benefit of giving your customers a forum to discuss your products. That is a great alternative to your customers not having a forum and then posting negative feedback on a third party website that you do not control.

5. Linking And Traffic Benefits: If you have a blog, it gives you a great opportunity to link to third party websites. BUT, it also allows other websites to link to your posts and your store. If you can combine this, with an affirmative strategy on your own where you go out and post comments to other blogs, those bloggers will eventually return the favor and post comments on your store’s blog. For some more context, here is a good post from blogging experts on getting more blog comments. If you are active with other blogs, those bloggers will often also add links to your site and in some cases they will feature your products and store on their blog. All of this taken together can really help increase the visibility of your store and drive new traffic. It all begins with your blog!

Now let us note that, having a blog is just one step in your overall marketing, social media and branding strategy. Combine your blog use with a strategy that uses Twitter and Facebook like we outlined previously here and here and you can really begin to extend the reach of your store to new communities, customers and industry experts that your business never would have reached before.

Let us know if you have any tips for using a blog for your online store.

Great post. Reasons 2 and 4 are very important. In other places, the term used is “customer experience.” Customer experience is driven largely by emotions, and if people can sense who they are dealing with via written word, they will gravitate toward the person. In the process, feedback may be provided that will make their future experience change in fundamental ways based on something you as a merchant would never have known otherwise. The outcome of such interaction, word-of-mouth, especially if positive in nature, is compelling enough to encourage starting this communication. Great businesses have grown from it.

[…] KikScore Blog » Blog Archive » Why Online Stores Should Blog We get the question a lot these days about whether small businesses and in particular online stores should have blogs? Often, the question is asked why should a store owner spend their precious time blogging. Here are some reasons that an online store should blog: […]

Thanks Eric for those comments. We agree that providing a human experience through a business blog is a great way to get your brand out. By doing that, shoppers can identify with your store at a more human level. That helps create a bond between a customer and a business that if the experience is positive can really pay dividends.